You are probably wondering what is this guy going to do that is going to keep my attention and make me want to come back week after week, day after day. I am going to try to keep the subjects light, give you a little insight into my personal life (BORING) and hopefully get some great product reviews and give-aways, I’m not always going to talk shop. We will keep things structured, giving you a different subject each day.
That being said, Wednesdays are going to be our “Local” day, where I will showcase products, services or other shops that I feel are very unique or need some attention (because they ROCK). If you are not familiar with any “Buy Local” movements, I should probably ask you to crawl out from under that cozy little rock that you have nestled under. Buying local is a great way to support regionally based businesses, families and simply live a better life (cutting down on your carbon footprint, bringing money back into your local economy and socializing with your neighbors).
Running a locally owned business, I know first hand the sense of pride from a happy customer referring you, a feeling that you were good enough for this person to put their name on the line. It makes me want to work harder, taking care of everyone that walks through the door. Chances are, the ”Big Box” stores aren’t feeling that way, nor the companies in China making most of their products. Take pride in yourself and what you buy, try to shift at least 10% of your purchases to local shops, service providers or products. There is a good selection of local businesses out there giving you their all, which leads me into my first “Local” nod, SyracuseFirst.
SyracuseFirst
Almost every major city has its own variation of “Buy Local” advocacy, we have SyracuseFirst. SyracuseFirst got its start as a nonprofit in June 2009 encouraging everyone to “think local first,” shifting the community to buy local as frequently as possible. They have a great team led by Chris Fowler, our very own buy local Robin Hood (Nationally run businesses being… well you get the picture). I have found out first hand how well-connected this group is, they are everywhere, which is good because so are local companies. You may see their trademark black “eat local” shirts or window decals asking you to “think local” or even Chris himself. From the local library to coffee shop to retailer to restaurant, they support and advocate local manufacturing, accounting firms and even realtors. They are “Local”!
How can you help SyracuseFirst spread the word, talk about it! There are many ways to be active and not spend money, that’s right, you don’t have to spend money to make a change. I am frugal, my wife more so than I, which is ok, we tell everyone how great local businesses are all the time, we even tell people about SF and what great things they are doing. Word of mouth is the most powerful advertising out there, better than any dollar’s worth of print. I will personally go somewhere based on a referral over an ad, even if I have never heard of the place. That goes the other way too, a bad review will keep me away, and I will surely tell anyone who asks. So what better way to help the movement, share your experiences with your friends, family and co-workers. Do you work for a locally owned business, ask them to join, or at least be part of the “Local” movement.
The local movement isn’t just within the limits of our city, think of it as a 100 mile radius, that’s reasonable isn’t it. It actually is pretty far in the grand scheme, depending on where you are. Locally, it covers Rochester, Syracuse, Binghamton, Ithaca, Watertown, Utica, Rome… well you get the picture. There are so many companies and people making great products, you most likely will not even know that you are buying local.
So what do I want you to take from this… SUPPORT LOCAL, TALK ABOUT LOCAL, and most importantly… THINK LOCAL!!! Thanks for reading and as always share share share.
Josh
Cloth Diapering Dad, Owner of Basic Baby, CNY Real Cloth Diaper Circle Leader, Volunteer & Husband
(Not always in that order)
Syracuse First can be found at http://www.syracusefirst.org/index.php or https://www.facebook.com/syracusefirst?ref=ts
The first type of mama cloth that I am going to review is own local gem & artisan, esbaby (
